The German sculptor and painter was born in 1934 in Cologne as the son of an old-established mountain artisan family. First, he learned to trade, then started to his own artistic activity in 1979.

First he created still lifes in oil and pastel, portraits of celebrities such as Franz Josef Strauss and Herbert von Karajan in bronze. Later he turned mainly to animal motifs, in which he emphasized special qualities of different species. Meanwhile, this fantastic self-study artist developed his characteristic expressive language.
Beyond academic experiments, which were far from any naturalistic platitudes, he formed the symbols of living nature with his hands. His ideals are intact world and free wild nature. He managed to make his work eternally topical.

For his work Kurt Arentz used a special silicone rubber method, which allowed him the immediate realization of his ideas. In this way the bronze castings obtain the specific handwriting of the artist. In a final step, the surfaces of the metal polished, roughened or patinated and get their motive-typical characteristics.

The sculptor presented his works to a large audience in numerous exhibitions in Germany and France. On his 70th birthday May 30, 2004 Kurt Arentz received congratulations from former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former Federal President Roman Herzog. Arentz won credits and honors from prominent personalities: the officials like Willy Brandt, Ronald Reagan or George Bush senior, as well as Sir Peter Ustinov and Willy Millowitsch have their portraits prepared by Kurt Arentz.

The biggest achievement of Kurt Arentz is reflected in his animal sculptures, he is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest animal sculptor of the 20th century. In 2001 Arentz was honored for his artistic and social commitment with the Federal Cross of Merit, his sculptures are among others in the White House, Washington, and at the Museum of European Art, New York.

Like no other, he succeeded in getting to the actual nature of the animal. The popularity by these nature studies is determined by their strong expressive power, but also by their carefree gaiety: creative energy of Arentz expresses the joy of life.

His last years Kurt Arentz lived and worked in Leverkusen. He died in June, 2014.

An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times.

Bronze casting:
When casting bronze, artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.

Sculpture "The Book Reader" by Ernst Barlachs is shown here as an example:

First, the artist forms a model of his sculpture. It is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber composition. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out. The liquid wax is poured in the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax casting is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, and the wax flows out (lost mould).

Now we finally have the negative form, into which the 1400 ° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken off and the sculpture comes to light.

Now the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist himself or, to his specifications, by a specialist. Thus, each casting becomes an original work

For lower-grade bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used which, however, does not achieve the results of more complex lost wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.

Designation for an art object (sculpture, installation), which is produced according to the will of the artist in multiple copies in a limited and numbered edition.

Artist's multiple contributed to "democratization" of art as the work was made available and affordable for a wider audience.

A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.

While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, for bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually it is made of clay or other easily shaped materials.

The prime time of sculpture after the Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Also the contemporary artists, such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz enriched the sculpture with outstanding works.